


The Beginning

by Waffle-o (XylB)



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: FAHC, GTA Universe, I always am, Mention of major character death, no explicit relationships but I was totally imagining endgame OT6, on that note, sorry about the ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-23
Updated: 2016-10-23
Packaged: 2018-08-24 06:38:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8361304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XylB/pseuds/Waffle-o
Summary: I am sorry for that shit title but I honestly couldn't think of anything. 
Moving on, this is the origin story of the FAHC. Enjoy.





	

The Fake AH Crew has humble beginnings. 

In fact, at first it's just Geoff Ramsey, running small-time cons and quick cash scams. He's good at it, can talk you out of twenty bucks before you even realise you're talking to him. 

He's good, but remember this is only the beginning. 

He finds Jack next, runs into her at some seedy bar in Austin where she's drowning her troubles in triple whiskeys. A smirk tugs at Geoff's lips - _easy target_ , he thinks - but when he sidles up to her in the cramped booth, there's something hard and sharp in her eyes and he doesn't empty her wallet. 

Instead, he finds himself sliding over his number with a cocked eyebrow and a "Want a job?". 

She raises an eyebrow back at him sceptically and he leaves soon after, satisfied that she'll call. 

Sure enough, at five p.m. the next day, she calls. 

\---- 

They run low-risk cons in Los Santos at first, simple convenience store heists and hit-and-runs. 

Until one late night when Geoff dares Jack to break into the airfield, and she does and a few minutes later Geoff learns that Jack has a knack for piloting. 

His plans get bigger. 

They're going to need more people. 

\----

They learn of another small-time con duo, same small heists and car hijackings, but there's more explosions. 

More chaos in general, really, and as Geoff digs deeper he finds out that Team Nice Dynamite has left a trail of destruction all across the city, fiery propane tanks explosions and crashed choppers. 

Geoff and Jack start trying to find them, track the news for any mention of fire and bombs. 

A blurry CCTV from a gas station shows them the outline of one of their faces. 

It's not much, but it's a start. 

\---- 

They come with bloody knuckles and busted lips, and they are the last people Geoff is expecting when he opens the door that morning. 

"Heard you were lookin' for us?" One says, grin wide and chin bloody. He's holding a shotgun resting across the back of his shoulders. 

Geoff panics and scrambles for his gun, but before he can there's someone pushing at him and then they're stepping in, closing the door behind them. 

"Chill. We're not gonna kill you." The same one says, lowering his shotgun and propping it against the wall in the narrow hallway. "I'm Michael," he says. "That's Gavin." 

Gavin looks surprisingly blasé, dressed in a near button down shirt and gold-rimmed sunglasses. 

"And you must be Geoffrey Ramsey. Pleasure," Gavin extends his hand, a crooked smile tilting his lips. 

Geoff tries to recover himself and he takes his hand, but it must shake a bit, judging by Gavin's "no need to be nervous". 

The accent is surprising, but Geoff doesn't comment. 

"So. We're here. What d'ya want?" Michael asks, wiping his knuckles on his shirt. 

"Aw, Michael, don't be rude. We've obviously startled the man, rushing into his home and all. I'm sure Geoffrey would like to sit down for a moment, yeah?" The last bit's directed at him. 

"Call me Geoff," he says. Gavin nods.

"I guess it's too late to tell you to come in, so follow me." Geoff turns and leads them to the kitchen, and as they sit down on creaky plastic chairs, Gavin sees a flash of gold at Gavin's hip. His staring must not go unnoticed, because Gavin smiles at him and says, "oh, this old thing?" and pulls out a gold flare gun, laying it on the table between them. 

Geoff doesn't like easy way Gavin's fingers curl around the grip, but he brushes it aside and instead runs a couple of fingers down the barrel. 

"Why a flare gun?" 

"Why not?" Gavin replies, his smile cryptic. 

Michael leans forward on his elbows and raises an eyebrow at Geoff. 

"You've been tracking us. What the fuck do you want?" 

\---- 

When Jack returns to Geoff's place after setting up the cars for their next heist, there are two more people in their crew. 

\---- 

The heists get bigger - more money and more violence. 

Geoff and Jack mainly plan them, with suggestions and tips from Michael and Gavin (yeah, we hit that a few months back, they've got four security cameras alone on the safe), but once they're on the field, it's different. 

Geoff usually goes in as a gunman alongside Michael, who always grins when Geoff puts a sticky bomb in his hands and tells him to blow the evidence. 

Jack's their getaway girl, always ready with a car or a plane or a helicopter or a boat - you name, she can pilot it - usually with Gavin in the co-pilot's seat, after picking him up from whatever fiery distraction he set for the cops. 

Gavin's a lot cleverer than Geoff gave him credit for at first, can hack a decent variety of security systems and can trip alarm wires at just a click of the mouse. He's got tricky fingers, too, makes stuff disappear from your pockets while you're blinded by his brilliant smile and cool charm. 

 

The heists work; all planned and neat and executed perfectly, but there's something missing. 

\---- 

Something comes in the form of the "stupid shit ass motherfucker" that tries to snipe Michael and catches him in the shoulder. 

Later, when Gavin's stitching up Michael by dim lamplight, Geoff'll trace the bullet right back to a sniper rifle purchased at Ammu-Nation five months ago. It's a hidden paper trail, customer only paid in cash and no, sir, you can't look at the security tapes, you need a warrant, but a gun to his head convinces him otherwise.  

They start looking. 

\---- 

A few days later, Jack drags in a kid in a bright purple hoodie and pushes him to the floor in front of Michael, who came to see what all the commotion was about. 

"Here's your sniper," she says, calm, and Michael doesn't ask how she found him. 

Instead he bends down and looks at the kid. The kid raises his head to look straight back, glasses askew and a bruise shining on his cheekbone. 

"What's your name?" 

"Ray." 

Michael stands up and reaches down to haul the kid - Ray - up, too. 

Ray, thin and practically swallowed up by the hoodie, stands in the narrow hallway and doesn't meet Michael's eyes. 

"So, where's that rifle I've been hearing about?" 

Ray shrugs and buries his hands in his pockets. 

"Don't know what you're talking about." 

"Fuck you don't know. You fucking shot me!" Michael steps towards him and Ray doesn't even blink. 

Michael stops, looks harder, but Ray's got a good poker face. 

"I-I don't have it," Ray says, but his nervous swallow betrays him. 

"Bullshit. Where is it?" Michael crowds him now, and Jack follows his cue, stepping up so Ray's trapped between them. 

"I-I-look, I didn't mean to hit you, I'm sorry, okay?" 

"The rifle. Now." 

"It was just target practice - you walked right in front - I swear, if I'd known I wouldn't - oh god please don't kill me please don't - " 

"Show me the goddamn rifle or I will!" Michael's shout shuts him up and Ray shakily begins unzipping his hoodie. 

Michael steps back a little to give him room, and as Ray shimmies one arm out of the hoodie to take off the rifle, Michael sees his movements become easier, more familiar. 

The rifle's strapped onto his back with one strap across his chest and Ray swings it over his head, brings it to rest against his forearm, and begins unfolding the thing. The barrel slides out from the storage bit running under the butt and then tripod legs kick out. The finishing touch is a scope that Ray digs out from a pocket in his cargo shorts. 

Then he hands it over to Michael, who's actually impressed at how fast that assembly was. He weighs the rifle in his hands and nods approvingly. It's a good model, solid and lightweight. The only thing unusual about it is that it's bright pink. 

"How the hell haven't you been caught yet? This thing's like a fucking beacon." 

Ray shrugs. "Lucky, I guess." 

Michael opens his mouth to ask something else but then Geoff comes in. He looks at the scene in front of him and grins. 

"Well, Ray, glad to have you with us." 

\---- 

Ray's really fucking good in the field, always quick and on the mark and Geoff feels something like pride well up in his chest whenever he sees the kid take down a target, even though he's not the one who taught the seamless sight-align-shoot or the smooth reloading. It's almost like art, how Ray handles a rifle. 

He's an important part of the team before long, and Geoff and Jack always make sure to put him in the best spots. 

\---- 

The name Fake Achievement Hunter Crew comes from a drunken night on the roof of Geoff's apartment and Ray's penchant for video games. 

Jack suggests that each heist is an achievement, like in a game, and Michael adds that the crew should be Fake because, well, their life isn't a video game. 

The name brings them closer together, somehow, no longer a rag-tag team of scrappy survivors and thrill-seekers. They're a crew now; they're almost like family. 

\---- 

Two months later Geoff finds the Vagabond. 

The Vagabond, serial killer sensation. He's left a trail of bodies all over America, from slit throats to clean headshots, each murder calculated and vicious. 

He's taking refuge in Los Santos, at least until the news dies down, and Geoff finds him in a backalley at midnight, handing a Subway bag full of what looks like sandwiches to a hobo. 

They exchange words and then the Vagabond turns to leave. He hasn't taken four steps when he looks up and sees Geoff. 

Geoff's not stupid; he knows the Fake AH Crew have made a name for themself, he knows they're not truly incognito anymore. 

So he figures the man behind the black skull mask knows who he is because he stops, tilts his head in consideration.

“Geoff Ramsey,” he says, coming to a stop two feet in front of him. Geoff doesn’t back down, holds his ground and casually crosses his arms, surreptitiously making sure he has easy access to his gun. “I’ve heard about you.” The voice is chilling and blank, but Geoff just squares his shoulders and looks the mask in the eyes.

“Vagabond,” he says. The man inclines his head in acknowledgement. 

“So,” Geoff continues, “how come I find you, what, giving food to the poor?” 

The Vagabond shrugs. “They could use it.”

“Funny, I just never pictured a serial killer having a soft spot for hobos. You planning something here?”

“No.”

“Because if you fuck up my city, you have to deal with me.”

“Noted.” 

And before Geoff can say another word, the man is pushing past him and walking out into the street. He looks back over his shoulder at Geoff and then he’s gone.

\----

The next heist goes wrong - goes horribly, horribly wrong. 

The bank security was better than they expected and someone managed to press the help button, and within eight minutes the police are there and there’s shooting and it’s a mess, it’s a goddamn mess. 

Gavin pushes civilians out into the street because although they’re a criminal gang, they’re not heartless and they’ve never wanted to senselessly murder people. 

 

Also, releasing hostages tends to be a good distraction. 

 

Michael’s shot in at least two places and he crumples like paper under the weight of the butt of a policeman’s pistol. 

Geoff’s trapped in a corner and he’s shooting his way out, but there’s more police - there’s a _lot_ more police than him and soon he’ll be outnumbered. Jack’s chopper got chased away by the LSPD choppers and there’s no evac _there’s no evac_ and Ray’s trying to block the street by shooting out tyres and forcing a traffic jam, a block of cars, because he can’t get a good shot inside the building. 

Gavin’s out of ammo and he hastily grabs a dead policeman’s gun before shooting blindly behind him, heading towards Michael.

It’s a disaster it’s a goddamn disaster and there’s no hope on the horizon. 

Ray manages to block the street but fat lot of good that does because now there’s choppers on the roof and police going in. 

Geoff’s facing the wrong end of a pistol and he tries to swing to knock it away but he’s tired and he’s bleeding and man, he did not want to die today. He kicks out and hits a shin and then there’s a gunshot and he’s certain he’s dead. 

Until a warm weight falls on him and he opens his eyes to see the dead officer lying against him. There’s a hole through his head, right above his ear, and Geoff looks to the left to see a familiar black mask. 

“Go!” The Vagabond says, roars, and Geoff doesn’t argue, scrambles to the fire exit and hopes to god the others can find their way out. 

He stumbles down the metal stairs and lo and behold, Ray’s down there with an unfamiliar car, but it’s Ray so Geoff gets in, and is surprised to see Michael and Gavin in the back. 

Ray drives off startlingly fast and they keep going into the hills. 

\----

They haven’t lost the cops yet but Geoff’s calling Jack and Gavin’s hastily patching up Michael as best he can, but there’s a lot of blood and his leather jacket is slippery with it. Geoff can hear crying in the backseat, short choked-off sobs and if he looks he can see Gavin’s shaky hands pressing against Michael’s ribs. 

Jack’s lost the cops and she lands out on the beach, east coast.

Geoff points Ray in that direction and they drive and drive and drive until they lose the cops. 

\----

It’s early morning when they do lose the cops, bright streaks of dawn shining over the mountains and it would be breathtakingly beautiful if Geoff couldn’t hear the frantic pleas from the backseat.

“Michael, Michael, please, stay awake, stay awake, we’re almost there, almost - “ 

It’s breaking Geoff’s goddamn heart and he can only hope they make it to Jack in time. She’s got an extensive first aid kit in the chopper and they’re going to need everything in it.

\----

They make it, they make it onto the beach and Geoff nearly starts cheering when he sees Jack’s chopper, but then he sees the person standing next to her.

He can’t worry about the Vagabond too much, though, because as soon as the car’s rolling to a stop he’s jumping out and telling Jack to get the med kit and then’s it’s a wild flurry of movement as Geoff and Gavin carefully extricate Michael from the backseat, Jack and Ray laying out a tarp on the floor of the chopper to put him on and opening up the supplies, cutting gauze and tape and unwrapping scissors, tweezers. It’s so busy that Geoff practically forgets about the Vagabond.

Gavin and Jack end up removing the bullets and sewing Michael back up, their hands and forearms covers in blood. 

After that, after Michael’s bandaged and unconscious and pale but alive - _alive_ \- and Gavin and Ray are sitting with him, quietly conversing, after Geoff and Jack carefully burn everything with Michael’s blood on it, including the car, after that, during the relative peace of mid-morning, Geoff remembers about the masked man standing next to the tail of the chopper. 

Striding up to him, Geoff asks, “So what do you want?”

The Vagabond tilts his head and holds out his hands, palm up. 

“I don’t want anything.”

“Look, buddy, I appreciate you helping us out there, but you’re not just selflessly helping us out, you and I both know that. So what do you want?”

“I - “ the Vagabond sighs, dropping his hands “I want to join your crew.”

Geoff spins that in his mind for a second. Then - 

“What?”

“I want to join you.”

Geoff knows there’s got to be ulterior motives - Vagabond wants to destroy them, wants to kill them - but there’s something about the simplicity of his statement, the easy confession, that stalls Geoff.

“Why?” he asks. 

A beat passes and then the Vagabond reaches up and takes off his mask. 

The first thing Geoff notices is the vertical scar that runs through his lips. 

The second thing is that the Vagabond looks like a regular person under the mask. No crazy eyes or missing teeth or haggard skin - in fact, he’s quite handsome. 

“My name’s Ryan,” he says, and giving his name is such an immense amount of trust that Geoff decides to hear him out.

He seems honest, too, as he answers Geoff’s questions, explaining that he doesn’t really want to work alone anymore - he’s been scoping them out for a while and they seem like a good crew. 

It’s so easy and straightforward that Geoff doesn’t quite know how to react. 

 

So he excuses himself to go confer with Jack. 

\----

By noon they decide to give the Vagabond a trial run. 

 

By four they’ve all returned to Geoff’s place, each coming back at different times using different routes. 

 

They set Michael up in his bedroom and Gavin and Ray stay the night with him. 

 

Geoff and Jack retire to their bedrooms and Ryan takes the sofa. He promises not to hurt them but they still take his weapons and sleep with one eye open.

\----

Ryan stays in the crew, but he exchanges his mask for face paint. 

\----

There’s new roles in the heists now and they’re working better than ever. 

Geoff grins at Michael before he slides on the mask and steadies his gun. 

Michael kicks down the door and fires a round into the ceiling, shouting for the people to “get down, this is a robbery!”. 

On the other side of town a freight ship blows up and the police rush to the scene of the crime. Gavin drives away before they can catch him, watching the flames in his rearview mirror as he adjusts his shades. He checks his watch. Five minutes to get over and pick up Ray and Ryan.

Ray shoots the first policeman on the scene and warns Michael and Geoff over the radio. 

“Hold on, one minute,” Geoff says. 

Ryan, one roof over, starts tossing grenades. 

Then there’s five cars and two choppers, but Michael and Geoff are already gone, escaped out the back door and onto the bike Jack set up for them. They’ll drive out to Vinewood and Jack’ll pick them up in her chopper.

Ryan goes down the ladder and starts more chaos, shooting and stabbing and laughing as he kills his way through the ranks of policemen. More come and he takes shelter in the store, forcing them to follow him in and when most of them are in Ryan’s voice crackles in Ray’s earpiece and he says, “I’m out, blow it” and Ray hears Michael’s answering chuckle before the convenience store suddenly explodes, fiery and loud and the perfect distraction as Ray packs up his rifle and climbs down the ladder to get into the car waiting for him. 

Gavin drives them out of the alleyway and eventually makes his way around to the forest behind the convenience store and Ryan stumbles into the car, grinning and wild, face paint smeared and gun oil on his hands. 

Gavin turns to him and pops his gum before asking “Enjoy yourself?”.

Ryan nods and Gavin smiles before driving them the hell out of there.

They meet up outside the airfield once they’ve lost the cops, and then they’ll slowly make their way back to the apartment, separate routes and different times, as always. 

Once they’re back, though, Michael’ll split up the cash and parcel it out with gunpowder residue and blood still on his hands. 

It’ll be a complete surprise to Ryan when a grand gets pushed into his hands, and he looks up at Geoff, who just nods and smiles. _You’ve earned it_. 

It’s the first time they’ve given Ryan a cut of a heists - his trial period’s over. They trust him now. 

Ryan nods his thanks and hides the relief on his face.

\----

The Fake AH Crew started out small, but now it works like a well-oiled machine and it’s the most famous gang in Los Santos. Hell, they’ve even busted people out of prison. 

They’re terrifying and they’re fearless, and if you ever even threaten one of them, they’ll be back for you.

\----

They’re the FAHC and they’re practically family now. Nothing can break them apart. 

(At least, nothing they can think of, but no one thought Ray wouldn’t make it to his 27th birthday.)

 


End file.
